Chelsea star Enzo Fernandez sees red for horror challenge and Lionel Messi clashes with James Rodriquez – as Argentina and Colombia stars trade insults in World Cup qualifier
Chelsea star Enzo Fernandez was shown a straight red card as tempers boiled over during a 1-1 draw between Argentina and Colombia in a World Cup qualifier on Tuesday night.
World champions Argentina trailed to a stunning Luis Diaz strike in the first half of the match at the Estadio Monumental.
As Lionel Scaloni’s side attempted to get back into the match in the second half, Fernandez was shown his marching orders following a horror challenge on Kevin Castano.
The midfielder raised his foot when competing for a high ball, but only succeeded in planting his boot into Castano’s face, after the Colombian had headed the ball away.
As Castano dropped to the pitch following the challenge, players from both sides raced to the incident.
Fernandez was ultimately dismissed for the challenge by referee Juan Gabriel Benitez, with the incident leading to tensions rising even further.
Enzo Fernandez was sent off following a high challenge on Colombia’s Kevin Castano
Castano went to ground following the challenge as Fernandez raised his arm in apology
The Argentina star was sent off by the referee while players from both teams clashed
Argentina captain Lionel Messi was caught in a heated exchange with Colombian star James Rodriquez in the aftermath of the incident.
TyC Sports, an Argentinian outlet, reported that Messi had confronted Rodriquez over comments he made about the 2024 Copa America final.
Rodriquez last month claimed Colombia had lost the final to Argentine due to ‘external factors’, adding that the referee had not given them ‘one or two penalties’ in the showpiece.
‘You said they helped us in the final, you talk a lot,’ Messi reportedly told Rodriquez on the pitch, leading to the Colombian replying ‘I didn’t say anything.’
Rodriquez declined to comment further on the incident post-match, stating ‘What stays on the field, stays on the field.’
Messi was ultimately brought off in the closing stages of the match, with his replacement Exequiel Palacios setting up a 81st minute equaliser by Thiago Almada.
Tensions continued after the match finished in a 1-1 draw, with veteran Argentina centre back Nicolas Otamendi involved in a spat with Richard Rios.
Otamendi reportedly approached the Colombian midfielder and said ‘Take off your headband, you clown’, according to TyC Sports.
Lionel Messi was involved in a heated exchange with Colombian star James Rodriquez
The Colombian captain appeared shocked following the exchange with Messi
Messi had blamed referee Juan Benitez for the heated nature of the World Cup qualifier
Rios was reported to have responded ‘You’re old. Shut the f*** up, idiot. You’re old, you can’t even run’ to the 37-year-old.
Otamendi had also been involved in a confrontation with midfielder Jefferson Lerma during the match.
Both Messi and Otamendi blamed referee Benitez for the heated nature of the match.
Footage showed Messi approaching the official after the final whistle and declaring ‘This is your fault You’re the one who caused all this, you’re the one who caused all this, with the decisions you made.’
‘You’re the one who sparked everything that happened.’
Otamendi echoed Messi’s comments to Argentinian television, claiming the referee had ‘called everything for them’.
‘Something similar happened to us with Brazil, they spoke before the match, and where we feel most comfortable is on the pitch, where we show the team we are and the hierarchy we have,’ Otamendi said.
‘It created a tough game that affected us because in every divided, every dispute, the referee called everything for them.
Nicolas Otamendi, right, was involved in a confrontation with Colombia’s Richard Rios
Otamendi reportedly labelled Rios ‘a clown’ while the Colombian declared his rival was ‘old’
The veteran Argentina defender had also clashed with Jefferson Lerma during the qualifier
Luis Diaz had opened the scoring for Colombian with a solo effort in the first half of the match
Thiago Almada levelled for Argentina in the closing stages despite being reduced to 10-men
‘What we have to do is play football, show on the field the team we are and keep adding.
‘There are many young people who are taking advantage of the opportunities and that is the Argentine national team.’
Argentina have already sealed their place at next year’s World Cup with the holders 10 points clear at the top of South American qualifying.
Colombia remain sixth in the standings, the last automatic berth, but have a four point lead over Venezuela with two rounds of fixtures remaining.
